The Taipei-based Federation for the Welfare of the Elderly yesterday began a new drive to collect daily necessities for elderly people in need across the nation.
Through cooperation with social workers in 19 communities across the nation, a total of 1,021 elderly people have applied to receive their daily necessities under the program, with the oldest applicant being 106, the federation said.
Among the applicants, 308 expressed a desire for milk power, oatmeal and cooking oil; 107 said they wanted diapers and other sanitary wear; 118 said they need clothes and comforters; and 355 said they needed home appliances such as electric cookers, electric fans and blood pressure gauges.
One applicant said he only needed the trash bags required for garbage collection in Taipei, the federation said.
There are about 2.9 million people aged over 65 in the nation, 46,000 — 20,000 men and 26,000 women — of whom live alone, with 11,000 of them listed as lower-middle-income earners.
A 75-year-old surnamed Liao (廖) is one of them.
A divorcee, Liao has no children or relatives and lives alone in one room in an old basement in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District (中正).
There are 13 elderly residents living in the basement, sharing just two restrooms. They take care of themselves and each other, and their only friend is the borough warden who visits them from time to time.
After paying the rent, Liao has only NT$3,000 to make ends meet each month and he often has only NT$10 to spend on dinner.
Federation secretary-general Wu Shu-hui (吳淑惠) said that over the past 11 years, the federation has assisted 10,763 elderly people like Liao by helping them get what they need for their everyday lives.
This year, the federation is helping 1,021 elderly people living alone who have made a list of what they require, Wu said, urging the public to support the program by making donations.
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